unanimity

The principle of unanimity (also called the principle of unanimity) guarantees that all parties must have the same opinion when making their decision as regards their decision. This means that only the "lowest common denominator" is accepted by all. By the unanimity principle, both small and large parties or actors have the same right to speak or the same voice.

The unanimity principle has the disadvantage that each individual party has a kind of veto right and can block a decision by rejection. In contrast to a democratic decision with a majority, the unanimity principle can be a strong majority and still be blocked by a minority. The advantage, however, is that certain contracts would never have come about if no unanimity principle had been applied.

In the European Union, the unanimity principle applies, for example, to cross-border tax questions and to admission examinations which regulate the access of natural persons to the profession.

A historically significant example of the unanimity principle is the principle Quod omnes tangit of the Reichstag (from the 16th century) of the old German Reich (until 1806) and its individual colleges, where a decision in a realm, (quod omnes tangit), could only be made in unanimity of all members of the Reichstag (ab omnibus approbari debet). Thus, while the greatest possible justice was achieved in decrees of the Reich, the legislative process was also slowed down enormously, as negotiations had to be made before a consensus was reached.

The Allied Control Council of the Victory Powers of the Second World War, which met in Berlin, also had to make its decisions unanimously. Therefore, differences of opinion soon led to the Council's inability to act. Edit source text

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